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Middle South Logo, History, Philosophy and Commitment
The Middle South logo is a design initially utilized by DFMI when it was established in 1994. The logo is a graph representing the traditional cash flow curve of a high growth business.
For any new venture, cash flow is initially negative. Start-up expenses are incurred as the business invests for the future. Then, customers and revenues grow, and the break-even point is reached.
In this stereotypical example, cash flow then becomes positive and grows rapidly during the growth phase. The length of the growth period is determined by the market and a combination of other factors, and the venture reaches the maturity / harvest phase.
In the maturity / harvest phase, the graph of this hypothetical company's cash flow flattens, as is characteristic of a mature market / company. Prior to reaching this phase, the owners of this venture had no doubt previously considered the implications of selling their equity interests, or these ownership interests may have transferred several times. Nonetheless, it is critical at this point in the company's business / life cycle that the owners reevaluate their options.
If you are attempting to answers questions concerning your business and would like our thoughts on your options and the cost / benefits associated with these options, contact us.
History.
Middle South is the successor to various consulting and M&A relationships / transactions going back to the formation of DFMI in 1994. Then, in connection with the consummation of a telecommunications venture, Middle South was incorporated in 2001. Since the telecommunications venture was a personal venture of Middle South's founder, the concept of providing consulting and corporate brokerage services on a full-time basis was definitely not "in the plan".
However, as additional M&A and consulting relationships developed, Middle South was the corporate entity used. One catalyst for the company's growth was buy-side / investor interest, as investors approached the firm's founder and requested assistance in finding high quality businesses for them to acquire. These investors were, in some cases, exiting the stock market and were seeking investments with better risk - return profiles. These buy-side activities ultimately lead to the offering of these same services to the public generally. As the corporate entity already existed, this entity was used. The original name was also retained in an attempt to help focus clients and the public generally on the intrinsic risk of investment in corporate and other assets in today's hyper-competitive market.
Philosophy and Commitment.
Middle South's central philosophy / commitment is that we will not accept any engagement that we do not believe provides value to our client well in excess of our fee. Further, one of our objectives is to inform our clients of all their options and the value / cost of each option. Having assessed the cost - benefit value of available options, we provide our recommendations on what we believe are the proper courses of action in order to best achieve a client's objectives.
If other advisors or consultants can provide services better suited to client needs and objectives, Middle South will either work directly with, or find, such advisors for the client. In such cases, third-party advisors can either work directly with Middle South as sub-contractors or (as directed by the client) work directly with the client only. In most engagements, Middle South works with - rather than replaces - established client support staff and advisors. As a general financial / management / transaction consulting and advisory services firms, we want to assist in creating long-term value for our clients while promoting the highest possible quality of life generally.
We believe that the focus of any investor / business enterprise should be long-term value maximization. In order to achieve this objective, the right type and amount of information is required, among other things. In assisting others in these critically important matters, we believe that it is an absolute necessity to provide the highest level of experience, knowledge, professionalism, integrity, candor and analytical support. For their entire careers, our principals have represented various types of investors, owners and stakeholders in numerous industries. We are committed to serving the best interests of our clients, Middle South and the public generally.
When considering your options, we suggest you consider - among other things - the risks and returns of the options you face. If we can be of assistance in structuring the questions and determining the answers, please let us know.
Our corporate name includes the word "ventures". The reason for this is that we believe risk should be a central focus of the investor cum business owner as the returns of a venture / investment can more readily be determined with a sound, reasoned, company-specific, full GAAP-based financial forecast. We believe that:
Why Middle South "Ventures"
Merriam-Webster generally defines the word "venture" as follows:
Function: noun 2. a : an
undertaking involving chance, risk, or danger; b : a
venturesome act
In virtually every aspect of life, risk is a factor. Whether the transaction at hand is a corporate purchase or sale, the financing of a corporate purchase or the financing of public improvement projects, these transactions are inherently complex. Complexity without knowledge increases risk, and Middle South provides the knowledge and breath of experience that all such transactions require in order to assist clients in evaluating and minimizing risk, among other things.
Middle South strives to inform and educate clients in these critically important financial transactions in order for them to better understand and manage risk as well as to better evaluate the expected returns and / or cost-benefits of the undertaking.
Middle South recommends that its clients stay focused on the risk of a transaction. The returns can be measured and quantified, and while risk is more difficult to quantify, there are techniques that can be utilized to evaluate and quantify risk and the risk - return relationships of a transaction. However, the old adage is true that if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
As the word "ventures" connotes at least some degree of risk and may help to bring the issue of risk evaluation and consideration into focus, the original name of the firm using "ventures" was kept.
To discuss your situation in detail, please contact us. We welcome the opportunity to give you our thoughts on how to meet your objectives in today's competitive and complex M&A, financing and business environment. All initial consultations are free. Middle South does not charge any fees other than by written agreement with our clients.
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Middle South Ventures, Inc. 2895 Hwy 190 - Suite 214 Mandeville, LA 70471 985.727.3220 - 985.727.3236 - fax 800.782.1417 - 985.778.9898 - cell
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Trade Marked 2001 - Middle South Ventures, Inc. - All Rights Reserved |
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